Asa Hutchinson expects to run for Ark. gov. in '14

Hutchinson said Friday he fully expects to seek the Republican Party's nomination for the state's top office. Hutchinson is the first Republican to join the race for the state's top office.

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By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press

Stuttgart Daily Leader - Stuttgart, AR

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press

Posted Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Updated Jan 4, 2013 at 11:15 AM

By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press

Posted Jan. 4, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Updated Jan 4, 2013 at 11:15 AM

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

Former Congressman Asa Hutchinson says he expects to run for Arkansas governor in 2014.

Hutchinson said Friday he fully expects to seek the Republican Party's nomination for the state's top office. Hutchinson is the first Republican to join the race for the state's top office.

Hutchinson said he expects to make his bid official after finishing his work on a National Rifle Association study on school safety. Hutchinson is a former undersecretary of the federal Department of Homeland Security and served as a U.S. attorney in Arkansas for three years.

Hutchinson ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006 and lost to Democrat Mike Beebe.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is the only announced Democratic candidate for governor, and has faced questions about his political future after admitting an extramarital relationship last month.